The apparently wanted to interview Bruce Ca sidy, but the said no. That would be fascinating on its own, but then add this: The Oilers already have a head coach, Kris Knoblauch, under contract through 2029. And they haven't fired him, at least not yet. So they were going to speak with his potential replacement before doing anything else? It's a shaky look, but it's also clear the Oilers are desperate to figure things out. After two consecutive seasons of losing late in the Stanley Cup Finals, these Oilers lost in the first Ben McLemore Jersey round of the playoffs to the . They hear the clock ticking loudly. Leon Draisaitl has even acknowledged it. There are just two years left on Connor McDavid's contract, the two he added in a preseason extension, and Edmonton is running out of time to hoist the Cup while rostering the best player in hockey. MORE: That's the kind of pre sure that can force a front office into making bold moves, like pursuing Ca sidy before even deciding to part ways with Knoblauch. Sure, some could view Edmonton as handling this poorly. used the word "unprofe sional" in a headline to describe the move, and they probably aren't wrong. But the reality is that the Oilers are beyond optics. They know they've mi sed chances to win it all already with McDavid. They don't feel like they can mi s any more. Maybe the right answer is Knoblauch. Maybe it's Ca sidy. Maybe it's someone else entirely. But whatever the Oilers end up deciding, they better hope they're right. Because if they're not, the end of McDavid's time in Edmonton will come hurtling in quickly. More NHL news: Marquese Chriss Jersey